Plus a name for the third hall of the Jr./Sr. residential village!

A newsletter for alumni & friends • May 2024

Dear Alumni and Friends:

I am delighted to share news that Upward Together is Whitman’s largest-ever philanthropic campaign! With gifts from more than 14,000 members of the Whitman community, The Upward Together total reached $169 million in investments for Whitman students following a $5 million gift to name Stegner Hall in honor of John ‘77 and Laurie Elgee Stegner ‘80. My tremendous thanks to all of you who have been part of making this possible for Whitman, and for our students!

This exciting news for Whitman comes at a time of crisis and unrest on many college campuses nationwide. I want to share with you my related May 5 message to students, faculty and staff, which reiterates our support for freedom of speech while also setting boundaries based on our shared values and policies.

As we look to work through and beyond this challenging moment for Whitman and colleges throughout the nation, I am proud to join College Presidents for Civic Preparedness, a broad association of national higher education leaders working to advance critical inquiry, free expression, and civil discourse on campus.

I believe deeply in our community and in the good work we will continue to do together to change the lives of young people and prepare them to be the thinkers and leaders our communities and the world need. Thank you for all that you do in this shared work, which is so important for students now and for generations to come.

Sarah R. Bolton
President

A $5 million gift recognized by the naming of Stegner Hall lifted the Upward Together campaign to a total of $169 million—a record level of philanthropic support for a Whitman College campaign.

In response to the urgent challenges currently facing American higher education and democracy, Sarah Bolton is taking action at both a campus-specific and a collective level to cultivate a more vibrant and diverse society marked by civil discourse and critical inquiry. Learn more.

Katherine Swisher ’20 has been selected for the Princeton in Latin America Fellowship. She will travel to the Domincan Republic and spend a year with early childhood Montessori teachers developing curriculum and hosting professional development opportunities.

Ben Parker ’23 was a star baseball player for the Whitman College Blues and continues to shine at the ballpark at William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, while also pursuing his MBA. At Whitman, he led the team in batting average, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, runs scored, home runs and RBI.

Whitman College students will perform potentially life-changing research in Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science facilities through the 2024 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship program.

Visit the Whitman Newsroom to read more stories featuring fellow alums, current events on Boyer Avenue and more.

Called to medicine since she stepped foot on campus, Heather Lovelace ’15 works every day toward getting others healthy and moving again. See her path.

Michelle Mathieu has been a consistent supporter of Whitman—helping students thrive and flourish through unrestricted giving. Read more.

Make room for the Blues! Women's tennis, men's golf and baseball were all crowned Northwest Conference regular season champions—the first time since 1952 for the baseball team! This month, both tennis and golf will hit the road for the NCAA Tournament, while baseball will host the NWC tournament on their home field here in Walla Walla.

Follow along with each team's success, watch live and check stats all on the Whitman Athletics website.

Uncover Europe’s best-kept secret, Slovenia, a spectacular country on the Adriatic coast. Join Peter '84 and Kristen Bogen Harvey '87 for a unique exploration centered in Portorož, an Adriatic coastal delight, and Ljubljana, Slovenia’s charming capital. See the Alumni Travel page for the full itinerary, pricing and reservation form. When: August 21—28, 2024. Registration closes on May 31, 2024.

Honolulu, Seattle and Washington D.C.,

Whitman will be in your area!

Browse events including a Whitties in the Cities get together and a conversation with John Johnson, Vice President of Inclusive Excellence.

Let’s start with how Whitman College students are alike: Smarts and drive. A track record of hard work. A desire to learn, think and create in service to a better world...

Yet, it is their differences—remarkable, diverse and interesting—that fuel a culture of expression, empathy and respectful exchange. That’s what makes a Whittie. That’s what you find at Whitman—but you know that already!